Sampling is a means of making a researcher’s workload manageable. It is the process by which you choose a predetermined number of units of analysis for inclusion in your study. Sampling is choosing. When sampling, you begin with a larger population of your unit of analysis, and from there you systematically carve out a sliver of that population. The sample is just that – a small representation of a larger population. In the context of research methods, the population will always be a “collection” of whatever your unit of analysis is. The sample is the systematic process by which you choose x number of units of analysis from that larger collection. Figures 1 and 2 illustrate what sampling entails.
Sampling process I
Sampling process II